What's in Your Fridge?

As a Health Coach, I frequently observe that people might make big efforts to improve the foods they eat, but fall short when it comes to "everyday" products they use that are far from healthy. Most often this comes from not knowing what to look for on an ingredients list and believing the persuasive wording marketers put on the front of the label.  I asked 50 people to send me photos of their refrigerators and pantries for “the Pantry Project”.

This project is designed to take some of the guesswork out of navigating the grocery store aisles and provides ‘swaps’ of healthier foods for the most common, nutrition-sabotaging items lurking in your kitchen.   

Let’s start with focusing on your refrigerator. After analyzing dozens of photos, I was able to find a trend in improvable refrigerator items.  Here are the top offenders… and healthier swaps to make the next time you shop. With these, or any packaged foods, you need to become an ingredients reader – don’t just read the nutritional facts or you won’t get the whole story!

Ways to Improve What’s in Your Fridge:

1.   Yogurt – STOP buying fat-free, non-fat, 0% fat yogurts, those with high sugar counts and those lacking the presence of live active cultures.  If you eat Yoplait, Danon, Activia, or generic store brands, then you need to make a change. Those brands are highly processed, have too much sugar, not enough protein and are lacking live active cultures in many cases

a.  What to look for – double digit protein, low sugar (but not artificially sweetened!), live active cultures and 2% or whole milk.

b.  What to Buy – ideally, a 2% or full-fat, plain Greek yogurt is your best bet for the right mix of protein, fat and low sugars. Sweeten yourself with fruit spread or raw honey. Look for these brands the next time you shop: Wallaby Greek, Fage, Stoneyfield Organic and Nancy’s Organic. 

2.   Salad Dressings – One of the biggest culprits for unwanted sugars, GMO-oils and other additives is bottled salad dressing.  There were several appearances by Kraft, Wish Bone and Girard’s brand dressings in the pantry photos.  None of these have ingredients that would pass the clean eating test. 

a.  What to buy instead – Well, for starters, try making your own, it is so easy! And there are dozens of recipes online. If you just can’t bring yourself to make your own, then reach for these brands: Tessemae’s (in the refrigerated section), Annie’s Organics, Lucini, Bragg’s or Organicville.

3.   Condiments – there are many purists out there that swear by their Best Foods, French’s and Heinz bottles.  It’s probably not news to you that those brands aren’t made from the best quality ingredients. 

a.  Ketchup is probably the biggest offender since high fructose corn syrup (or corn syrup) is on the ingredients list, so look for an organic brand like Organicville that has healthier ingredients. 

b.  Mayonnaise is loaded with calories, fat and salt and is better left in the jar. Instead, choose to enhance your sandwich with mashed avocado, olive oil, hummus, pesto or plain Greek yogurt that has been mixed with garlic and herbs. Yes, I’m nicely trying to say "ditch the mayo".

c.   Mustards are one of those condiments that you can now find in a variety of flavors.  Look for spicy mustards, seeded mustards and garlic mustards to enhance the foods you eat so you won’t miss the mayo.

d.  Jams and Jellies – You know these are just sugared up fruit, right? There are higher quality options out there that are better for you than Welch’s and Smuckers. Choosing spreadable fruit (with no added ingredients) is optimal. Recommended brands include Crofter’s Organic, St. Dalfour and, Bonne Maman (in a pinch).

e.   Peanut and Almond Butters – choose brands with only nuts and salt on the label.  No sugar, no hydrogenated or soybean oils… simply nuts and salt. Do not stop reading when the front of the label says “natural” – look at the ingredients list.  Even my favorite brands make a version with sugar, so proceed with caution. Choose: Justin’s, MaraNatha or 365 Brand (Whole Foods).  

4.   Eggs – this is probably a very confusing product for most people. Let’s make it simple: chickens are not vegetarians, so eggs from vegetarian fed chickens means chickens are not being raised in their natural environment.  Look for pastured (not pasteurized!) eggs.  That means chickens have been out in the pasture eating bugs along with their feed and in return produce a bright orange yolk, not a pale yellow one.  That’s where most of the nutrients are. Organic, pasture raised eggs contain more vitamin A, E, Omega-3 and beta-carotene than non-pastured eggs and they have been shown to have less cholesterol. Don’t be fooled by the terms “cage free”, “free range”, etc., pastured is key.  

a.  Look for: Vital Farms eggs, check out your local farmer’s market or ask your grocery store if they sell pastured eggs.

5.   Milk and Cheeses – This food group could be its own blog topic so for now I’ll simply say choose organic (from grass fed cows whenever possible) and when organic is not available, be sure to choose milks and cheeses that are marked ‘from cows not treated with rBST or rBGH’(recombinant bovine growth hormone).

6.   Butter – the best butter you can put in your body is that from grass fed cows.  And that means slim pickings (sorry!) as far as brands are concerned.

a.  Why grass fed? Butter from grass fed cows gives you important omega-3’s, vitamins A, E and K.

b.   Choose: Organic Valley, Kerrygold  

7.   Pancake and Waffle Syrup – this is the simplest of categories for me to help you clean up. If your syrup does not say 100% real maple syrup, then it’s just a container full of artificial flavor, highly processed sugar (high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup) and fake ingredients like caramel color and hexametaphosphate. The real stuff is not full of chemicals, is minimally processed and actually has nutrients present like iron and calcium.  Plus, it tastes like maple syrup should- delicious.

a.  Choose 100% real maple syrup. No other ingredients on the label. The darker the color, the stronger the flavor.

Whew, that’s a lot for one day! But all the little things add up to big things and that can make a difference.  The brands I mentioned might not be available in your area so start reading ingredients lists to find brands that have simple, whole ingredients that you can pronounce and recognize. You can also try Thrive Market (link on sidebar) for wholesale prices on some of these items.  If you find brands that make the grade, other than what’s listed here, let me know. In the mean time, just start replacing your not-so-hot fridge products a little at a time and before you know it you’ll have a “cleaner” refrigerator! 

May Madness

There is just something about the month of May that leads me to believe it is going to be an easygoing month, but it always ends up feeling like I’m on the tilt-a-whirl carnival ride. Lots of action, most of it unpredictable and, while it’s annoying at times, it leaves a smile on your face at the end. I have three great things to share with you this week, all the result of a ride that is still not over. March has nothing on May Madness! I wonder what the second half of the month will bring?  Here are a few good things that left a smile on my face. Hope they do for you, too.

ONE - The first is a brand new recipe to make mornings a little more fun.  Ever had a banana split for breakfast? This one is delicious… and nutritious!  Here’s a link to my recent guest post on MindBodyGreen.  I like to make this recipe with the Cinnamon Chia Peanut Butter I blogged about a few weeks ago, but it’s just as delicious with almond butter.  Here you go…  Breakfast Banana Split.

TWO - Since we just celebrated Mother’s Day, I thought I’d share another recent guest post, this time on the FitLife site.  Moms will always give advice and while you might think some of your mom’s advice is outdated, I take a second look at how mom’s wisdom stands true today.  Check it out. I’d love to hear your mom’s favorite words of wisdom, too!

THREE – Thrive Market! My new favorite online market for getting healthy foods at wholesale prices (yes, that’s why it’s on my sidebar :).  Think of it as a Costco for good food… delivered right to your front door.  Thrive Market is an online shopping club on a mission to make healthy living easy and affordable for everyone. Not just food. They offer beauty, vitamins and household items, too. Chia seeds for under $8, gluten-free search button, staples and splurges… this deserves a look!

Wishing you a week of health and happiness... and not too much madness!

Food for thought…“You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet” – Mark Hyman

8 Ways to Prepare for a Hunger Emergency

It happens to all of us; we get busy running errands, a meeting goes late, traffic holds us up and we suddenly find a growling bear of hunger taking control and we reach for the nearest thing to eat, even if it’s far from healthy. I call it a “hunger emergency” and when this happens, we tend to choose sugary, highly refined, low quality foods to chase away the hunger bear.

Don’t let this happen to you.  Planning ahead is the best solution. Choose protein as part of your snack; it is best at controlling blood sugar and will keep the hunger surge from getting too big.

Here are 8 ways to get prepared:

1.    Keep a small bag of almonds or walnuts handy. Or make a batch of your own trail mix using almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, goji berries and shredded coconut.

2.    Fruit and Nuts. Have fruit that travels well on hand, like apples or oranges, and pair with a handful of nuts for a balance of protein, fats and carbs.

3.    Similar to number two, buy travel packs of almond butter to have on hand to pair with a banana, apple or crackers. 

4.    Hummus and crackers or cut vegetables is always a good snack option. (I like Mary’s Gone brand crackers.)

5.    Healthy snack bars made from whole food as ingredients. Larabar, and Simple Squares are good brands or try making your own with this recipe from 100DaysofRealFood.

6.    From Scratch Popcorn made from loose kernels popped in a brown paper bag in the microwave (not a pre-packed microwave type) sprinkled with fresh herbs and salt or nutritional yeast for a dairy free, cheesy taste.  No harmful chemicals and you still have a bag for easy transport. Simply put ¼ cup organic popcorn kernels in a brown lunch bag, roll the top down, microwave until they are popped. Sprinkle herbs, salt and/or nutritional yeast in the bag, shake and eat.

7.    Jerky. Not all brands are good, but Krave is awesome. Nitrate free, gluten free, no MSG or corn syrup. They have flavors that are sure to make your mouth water (turkey basil citrus, beef chili lime, sesame ginger) and chase away hunger. Check out Thrive Market for great prices on Krave.

8.    Roasted Chickpeas. Roast a batch of these at home. Sprinkle with your favorite flavors (cayenne pepper, sea salt or garlic and herbs) and you’ve got a healthy, crunchy, on-the-go snack. To make: drain a can of chickpeas, rinse and blot dry.  Toss with a little bit of olive oil and salt, spread on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 450°F for 30-40 minutes or until browned and crispy.

And most important:

Drink water all day long! Sometimes when we feel hungry, we are actually getting dehydrated; so keeping up on your water intake should be priority number one.

What's your favorite way to avoid a hunger emergency?

Quinoa for Spring... Bring it on!

Need a new fresh way to incorporate quinoa into your day? Here’s a new recipe for reinventing the quinoa salad with some of spring’s tasty offerings.

Strawberry Sugar Snap Quinoa Salad

This salad is packed with nutrients and flavor!

Strawberry season is in full swing and there is nothing quite as mouth watering as fresh, juicy (organic) strawberries. A great source vitamin C, they do not ripen after being picked, so choose fragrant, bright red berries when you are at the store and eat them within a few days.  They add just the right amount of sweetness to this salad.

Sugar snap peas are also in season and bring their own dose of vitamin C along with vitamin A and some iron.  They taste good raw or lightly steamed and add a nice bunch of crunch to the mix.

Quinoa is its own powerhouse, a seed that acts like a grain and is considered a complete protein.  It is gluten-free and gives you fiber, magnesium, folate and iron. It is flavorless and can be eaten warm or cold, as breakfast or as a main course. It cooks quickly, so it’s easy to prepare. It’s even better for you when you sprout it. 

Pumpkin seeds give us a healthy dose of zinc, magnesium and plant based omega-3’s. Toast them in a low-heat oven to preserve vital nutrients. 

Combine these ingredients with some herbed goat cheese and a tangy dressing and you’ve got a great salad that works as a main dish when served on a bed of greens or as an easy, make-ahead side for dinner. Great for a pot luck, too!

Nutrient Notes:

Manganese - Plays a role in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, calcium absorption, and blood sugar regulation. Manganese is also necessary for normal brain and nerve function.

Magnesium is important for every organ in the body -- especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys.

Zinc helps heal wounds and plays an important role in the immune system, reproduction, growth, taste, vision, and smell, blood clotting, and proper insulin and thyroid function.  

*sources: www.umm.edu; www.whfoods.com;

Five "get healthy without really trying" Food Swaps

For many people, the thought of cleaning out a pantry or refrigerator’s unhealthy contents and replacing them with healthier versions might seem overwhelming.  And most aren’t aware that many of the store bought, packaged foods that end up in their kitchens aren’t as healthy as the advertisers claim.  The big food companies like Kraft, ConAgra, and General Foods want you to believe that they have your best healthy interest at heart, but that’s far from the truth. For them, it’s about the bottom line – it’s a billion dollar business. The mission of Grow in Wellness is to live a cleaner, greener life, so here’s a quick way to get started.

If you don’t have time to clean out your cupboards, but want to start making some healthy changes here are five places to start:

1.    Trade in your white rice  for brown rice.  It will take a little longer to cook, but the health benefits are worth it. You’ll get fiber, B vitamins, selenium and manganese.

2.    Swap your canola, soy and vegetable oils for expeller pressed olive oil, grapeseed and coconut oil. You’ll be saying goodbye to genetically modified, inflammatory oils and replacing them with oils that are gmo-free and not produced with dangerous chemicals like hexane.

3.    No more Fat-Free dairy!  When fat is removed from a dairy product, something must be added to improve flavor.  Sugar and chemicals are the usual replacements and can lead to weight gain.  Plus, vitamins A and D in milk are fat soluble, which means the fat in the milk increases their absorption. So trade in your skim milk for 2% or whole milk and do the same for your yogurt! Choose a source from grass-fed cows for improved nutrient profile.

4.    Upgrade your greens.  For the healthiest salads and a bigger nutrient boost, trade in your iceberg for darker leafed lettuces like spinach, arugula and romaine. If you really want to add a boost, add a ¼ cup of sprouts or some finely chopped Tuscan kale to the rest of your salad.

5.    Check your peanut butter.  Does your peanut butter (or almond butter) have anything on the ingredients list besides nuts and salt? If you see the word sugar or hydrogenated anything, then put it down and reach instead for a brand that has more integrity. The same goes for other nut butters, too.  Even healthier brands make a version with added sugars so read the ingredients list carefully!

What other foods would you like to know a healthier swap for? Let me know in the comments section and I’ll offer suggestions.

Ghee, It's Nice to Meet You.

I recently had the chance to ‘taste test’ a new line of ghee, by Tava, that I discovered at the Natural Products Expo. Have you had the opportunity to meet ghee? If not, then let me introduce you.

Ghee, rooted in ancient Indian culture, is a class of clarified butter. In simplest terms, ghee is made by simmering butter until the milk solids caramelize and water content evaporates, creating a dense product with an aromatic, slightly nutty flavor. 

Ghee is a medium chain fat and due to its production method, it has health benefits when eaten in moderation. Here are a few:

•  Contains vitamins A, D, E and K
• Higher smoke point for cooking foods
• Rich in butyrate, it helps control insulin levels, decreases inflammation and aids digestion 
• Is low in casein and is better tolerated in people with lactose intolerance
• Shelf stable and spreadable

Tava makes a line of ghee that uses milk from grass-fed cows (a big plus!) in keeping with ancient production methods. Here’s where Tava brand ghee stands above the rest: flavor!  Tava offers a line of 4 flavors, Original, Vanilla Bean, Himalayan Sea Salt and Green Chili.  I tired every flavor, some with the recipes on their website, and the Green Chili is my favorite (and I’m not typically a spicy kinda person). I also roasted a halved pear with a spread of vanilla ghee on each half – yum! The Himalayan sea salt ghee perked up my sautéed broccoli, and their baked eggs recipe with the Green Chili ghee was amazing!

Tava’s ghees are available mainly in the Los Angeles area, but if you live further away, they sell it on their website, too. 

If you decide to try ghee, share some of your favorite ways to use it with us here at Grow in Wellness.  I hope you get the chance to  “meet” ghee… you’ll be glad to have a new friend in your pantry. 

(As for pronunciation, the “gh” is a hard sound, like the first syllable in ghetto, the end rhymes with tree)  

sources: www.tavalife.com, www.whfoods.com, www.nourishedkitchen.com, www.draxe.com

March Meal of the Month

March brings spring and that means lots of great produce is coming our way.  St. Patrick’s Day might be behind us, but it has inspired me to come up with a menu for this month that celebrates green and spring! Gluten free and meat free, this simple March Meal is light and flavorful.

Gluten Free Pesto Pasta with Oven Roasted Shrimp – The combination of shrimp and pesto always tastes good and by roasting the shrimp in the oven with a little garlic, you’ll be adding just enough extra yum to make this pasta dish a hit. My choice for the pasta is Tinkyada brand brown rice spirals, which is a great shape for the pesto to cling to in all the nooks and crannies.  Toss with this homemade pesto sauce.  Top your pasta with the oven-roasted shrimp and fresh grated parmesan.  My version (photo) uses "zoodles" (noodles made from zucchini with this nifty gadget) in place of pasta. 

Note:  if you’re in a hurry you can try Pasta Perfetto or Cibo Naturals brand pre-made pesto in the refrigerated fresh pasta section of your store.  If you choose a different brand, read the ingredients list before buying! Avoid those with whey protein isolate and soybean oil.

Herb Focaccia – Here is where I take a shortcut.  I buy a fresh baked focaccia loaf from the bakery department and then heat it in the oven. I serve plain, but offer a ‘dipping’ sauce of olive oil and Italian herbs on a small plate.  If you are gluten free, try Canyon Bakehouse’s Rosemary and Thyme Focaccia (usually in the freezer section of your store).

Snap Pea Spring Salad – spring means fresh sugar snap peas and these crunchy peas are great tossed into a salad with a bright tasting lemon dressing.  Simply add 1 ½ cups of fresh, cut up sugar snap peas to spinach, toasted slivered almonds and chopped cucumber. Toss with a dressing made of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, dash of Dijon, salt and pepper. If you want a more formal snap pea recipe, check out this version by Bon Appetit.

More spring veggies to keep an eye out for include artichokes, asparagus, broccoli and green beans. What are your favorite greens for spring?

Clean Food Cheat Sheet

I recently spent three days at the Natural Products Expo West (NPEW) and have so much to share! Hours of educational seminars and hundreds (thousands?) of products to check out, mean more info than I can reasonably share with you here in just one post.  So for this week, I’m sharing a quick list of favorite food products. 

It’s no secret that the word “Natural” is a loose term with no meaningful definition (see my earlier post here) and my experience at NPEW just confirmed how much I need to work on continuing to spread the word about paying attention to what ingredients are in the food you eat! Of the thousands of vendors at the expo, just a fraction of the booths had brands I trust or shared new products that passed the “clean ingredients” standard of this blog.  Ingredients like carrageenan, canola oil,  maltodextrin, autolyzed yeast extract and soy protein isolate are far from clean or healthy, but showed up in many products. 

In the interest of time and space, here are some of my favorite brands, in bold, that were at the Expo with a favorite product in parenthesis. Kind of like a little cheat sheet for your next trip to the grocery store. I know it’s much easier to just grab a favorite brand, so here are a few products you can just ‘grab and go’ the next time you’re at the store:

Food Should Taste Good (multi grain chip), The Chia Co. (chia shots, chia pods), Pamela’s (gluten free pancake mix), Go Raw (sprouted seeds for snacking), Lundberg Family Farms (organic brown rice), Bob’s Red Mill (rolled oats and whole grain pancake mix), Niman Ranch (humane and sustainably raised meat products), Amy’s (pesto pizza and Chinese noodles & vegetable with cashew cream), Organic Valley (grass fed butter and cream), Ancient Harvest (new ancient grain hot oatmeal), Late July (organic snacks), OrganicVille/Sky Valley (sriracha and dijon), Sun Warrior (protein powders), Navitas (superfoods), Tava (flavored ghee), To Your Health Sprouted Flour Company (sprouted flours), Alvarado Street Bakery (sprouted sourdough bread), Noosa (new pumpkin flavor in July), Theo (amazing peanut butter cup candy), Mary’s Gone Crackers (new line of thins coming out soon), Celtic Salt (lots of good flavor blends, too),  Silk (cashew milk), Wallaby (awesome organic Greek yogurt and kefir) and...

·      Bliss – well, this doesn’t quite count as grab and go if you live outside of Oregon or Washington, but if you want to try their amazing Cinnamon Chia Seed Peanut Butter bliss, it can be found online and is worth every cent of the shipping cost. It's my favorite product from the Expo - Delicious! (Better yet, if you can't find it, tell your local grocery store to order some for their shelves!)

If you try any of these brands and their products, send an email or leave a comment… reader feedback is always appreciated! Share what your favorites are with Grow in Wellness.

And don’t forget… the healthiest foods are those that don’t need an ingredient label like fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

 Coming soon – body care and home cleaning products to help you ‘live green’! 

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Is There A Dragon In Your Smoothie?

Want to add a burst of color and nutrition to your morning smoothie? Then consider adding dragon fruit to your next blender mix.

Dragon Fruit, otherwise known as Pitaya (pronounced pee-ty-uh), is a brightly colored fruit from a climbing cactus plant.  It’s common in southern Asia and is starting to make an appearance here in the U.S.

It is a bright magenta-pink exterior with green leaves that look a bit like dragon scales (thus it’s nickname). The interior can be white, green or magenta, all speckled with tiny seeds.  This wild looking fruit comes with a punch of nutrients, too: vitamin C, high fiber, B-vitamins, magnesium and omega-3’s from the seeds.

If you can find one in your grocery store (or Asian market), simply cut open, remove the peel and eat the speckled flesh.  It has a mild taste similar to kiwi or melon. Another way – and a much easier way! - to get some Pitaya in your life is to add some to your smoothie by buying it in frozen smoothie packs in your grocery store’s frozen fruit section. Look for the PitayaPlus brand (which is raw, organic, non-GMO, and no added sweetener) or ask your store manager if they’ll start to carry it. Here’s a recipe to get you started. Why not try adding a little dragon to your day?

Blend the following ingredients until desired consistency: 

Dragon Fruit Smoothie

8 oz. coconut water

½ cup pitaya or 1 frozen pitaya packet

1 banana

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

large handful of spinach

4 ice cubes

*add more or less coconut water to adjust consistency